Drones & Aerial Cinemagraphs

Drone-Mania

All the talk of CES and guaranteed to be a popular item this year, drones are one of the new “it” technologies for 2015. March will see New York City host the world’s’ first Film Festival “dedicated to the art of drone cinematography.” While drones have been around for years in various military and surveillance applications. They’ve recently been spotted doing everything from delivering pizzas to dropping off packages from Amazon. Unmanned flying quadcopters have never been so hot, especially in the world of videography.

So, some may wonder, “what’s the big deal?” In response to that I would ask, have you ever seen aerial video from a flying drone? It’s incredible. Seriously incredible. It’s hard to put into words how beautiful drone footage can be. It’s literally and figuratively giving new perspectives on how video can be captured. Check out the 4K drone video below for proof.

Featured Drones

What’s great about the booming drone business is that virtually anyone can afford their own unmanned aircraft. Having a competitive market creates a decline in prices, giving the everyday consumer the chance to get their hands on their very own drone. Futuristic and a whole lot of fun, there are many options currently on the market.

Parrot Bebop:Retailing at $499USD, the Parrot Bebop is more technologically advanced than many other drones on the market. The Bebop can be controlled VIA iPhone and Android using Parrots iOS app. It contains a 14 megapixel camera with 180 degree fisheye lens. The Bebop then takes this 1080p HD footage, stabilizes the image, removes the fisheye effect and sends the live video back to your device. One of the more trendy video drones available, the Parrot Bebop is definitely a viable choice.

DJI Phantom 2: Arguably the best drone on the market right now. It contains the easiest multirotor to fly, making it extremely simple to control. It also has 20 minutes of flight time, which is much longer than the standard drone. This all comes at a steeper price of $950USD. Check out the caliber of footage it can produce in conjunction with a great action cam, such as GoPro Hero 3+.

AirDog: Chosen as the best drone/robot at CES 2015, and second in Best (overall) of CES 2015 Awards, the AirDog is an extreme sports filming drone. The uniqueness of this drone is its ability to follow you wherever you go. It also “folds down to a backpack-friendly size and comes with custom modes for different sports,” explains Engadget’s deputy managing editor, James Trew. It supports Sony and GoPro cameras, and promises to lead the way for the future of action sports video. It also looks pretty damn cool.

Drones + Aerial Videography = Incredible Cinemagraphs

Drones take incredible aerial video, and aerial video makes for great cinemagraphs. You only need a few seconds of still footage, and a video from the sky can be turned into a living photo. Some of our Flixogaphers have tried out this technique.

When Cassandra was six, she was asked to share a story with her class…and hasn’t stopped telling them since. Now she does so through photography, video and writing, but with the same sense of wonder - and love for glitter - as her inner kid.